


You'll stay here, that way, forever.

by Razzberrie



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Genre: Angst, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Majora's Mask
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26383306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razzberrie/pseuds/Razzberrie
Summary: But still he would dream of a green field, a lone tree, four little boys running and playing.Still he would dream of two little fairies; one gold, one purple, with the voices of tiny bells.And still he would dream of Giants and their song of sorrow.....The LU group ends up in a place Time thought was all a dream and he's finally able to make things right.
Comments: 50
Kudos: 101





	1. Is that your true face?

**Author's Note:**

> I was too late for the Discord prompt for the Child Timeline Week because i was too busy mulling over this. After much debate, i decided to split it up into chapters for more coherency. Eventual Time angst for the horrors he's faced as a child saving the world, twice.
> 
> Enjoy, and let's all go back to Termina.  
> <3

Time often stayed late for his watch, or got up early for it, for he was no stranger to lack of sleep. When he slept, he would dream the most vivid dreams, that almost felt real enough to touch. The only times he didn’t dream would be when he slept next to his wife, encased in her arms, but she couldn’t be with them out here on the road. He wouldn’t tell the other young men who shared his burden, but he would do everything he can to ensure they slept when he couldn’t. They were younger, they needed the rest. He would be fine; he wasn’t alone anymore.

_But still he would dream of a green field, a lone tree, four little boys running and playing._

Truth be told, he was never alone on his adventures. Saria was with him in spirit long before she became a sage. His many friends helped him find his way when he had lost direction. So many people touched his life in his first adventure, but it was Navi who guided him through Hyrule and the river of time. She was, strangely, like the mother he never got to know. She comforted him when he cried in the night, she fought with him against foes ten times their size, and she never let him fall. Which is why it hurt him so badly when time corrected itself in that final leap that she flew away like she didn’t know him.

_But still he would dream of two little fairies; one gold, one purple, with the voices of tiny bells._

Time dreamt often of the time he got lost in the woods looking for her. He had stumbled too and made a wrong turn searching for the grave of the fairies and wound up in a whole new world. The clocktower, the moon, the song he never wanted to hear ever again. There were times when he felt like that era was a dream itself. It was only the few tangible possessions he had that convinced him it was real. He had never been back there, he didn’t know the way, all he could do is hope it all worked out okay without him. He stopped the evil within the mask, but gave it away, and he always had this lingering fear that the evil would be born again.

_And still he would dream of Giants and their song of sorrow._

But that was a different time and he’d grown since those days into the man he knew now. The dreams would come and go, the nightmares have long been conquered. And though he would be bleary eyed in the morning, those brave young men would be well rested and ready for whatever may come.

“Yo, Old Man, what’s the biggest thing you ever fought?” The Hero of Warriors called out, effectively snapping him out of his stupor.

“The moon.” He replied coolly without inflection in his tone.

The boys all laughed in disbelief and he heard their snide comments. He didn’t owe them an explanation or a reason so he wouldn’t go into it even though their pestering persisted. Though he knew they were all brought together for a reason, and he trusted them to watch his back, he didn’t owe them anything yet. He wasn’t a babysitter, he didn’t need to be their idol, he was a warrior.

Even though the Goddess made sure he wouldn’t be known as one.

.

.

.

.

.

The group stepped from the portal and found themselves at the edge of a forest that nobody outright recognized. After some arguments and scouting, it was Time who noticed the weathered tree with a worn carving in it.

“I know where we are.” He announced to the group as he turned towards the north. Through the trees, that had grown in the last twenty years, he could see the stone pillars that all led to town. “We’re not in Hyrule anymore…” He said as he led the march onwards.

The group shared a few puzzled looks amongst themselves at Times cryptic words. As they got closer, they could hear the bustling town come to life. When they stepped through the south gate, Time felt like he stepped back in time. Carpenters were building stalls and towers, decorations were strewn around, and the air smelled like fresh baked sweets.

“This is Clocktown…” Time announced to the group while he was tried to hide the shock and awe in his voice but fell short and he was sure the others heard it. “We’re in a land called Termina.”

Twilight eyed his mentor, vaguely recalling a story Time has shared with him once. “You’ve been here?”

Time nodded as he looked around. “I have, a long, long time ago.” He looked up to the clock tower in the center of the town. For a split second he thought he could see the Skull Kid twitching in agony up there but within a blink of an eye, the mirage was gone. “It doesn’t look like it’s changed at all…”

Time starts to walk through the town, leading the group out of the way of the citizens preparing for the biggest holiday of the year. Everywhere they went, the dreams danced in front of his eyes. He smiled when he saw young Bombers in blue bandanas patrolling East Clocktown looking for good deeds to perform. Street performers practiced their craft in the street for tips in preparation of the big display that would occur on the eve of the carnival.

Wind eyed a vendor setting up their stall with toys and treats and the gremlin in him twinkled behind his eyes. “What are they getting ready for??”

“They’re getting ready for the annual Carnival of Time. Every year the whole country comes together to pray for good harvests and blessings for the year.” Time points to a banner plastered to a wall that has times for different aspects of the festival. “It’s custom that everyone makes a mask to celebrate to honor the old Gods that protect the four regions. Everyone gathers on top of the clock tower after midnight to send their prayers to them.” 

“Can we stay for the carnival? Pleeeaaaasseeee???” Wind begged with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster. The older boys snickered at the display of youth from the Hero of Winds.

Time smiled fondly and reached over to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Well it seems we’re stuck here for the moment, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Wind pumps his fists in the air and runs ahead of the group to inspect the stall, he was still a kid inside after all. Warriors follows his little brother, half to be responsible and half in curiosity. The two of them could probably talk the vendor into giving them a test run of the game.

Wild smacked Twilight in the arm and pointed when he saw two Zora’s with what looked like musical instruments made of fish skeletons walk into a building called The Milk Bar. “What’s…uh, going on over there?”

Time follows Wild’s stare and smirked. “It’s a member’s only bar. They have live bands play in there for patrons.” Oh what they would have thought if he had told them that he had played for a crowd in there.

“And why exactly do you know all about the members only bar, Old Man?” Four snickered as he elbowed Hyrule in the side. All he could think of was a drunken, slurring Time pretending he was a rock star.

“Guess we’re camping out again.” Legend groaned when an older woman with graying red hair started nailing ‘no vacancy’ signs outside the Stock Pot Inn. Time thought of stopping to say hello, but he doubted she’d recognize the kid she gave her couple’s mask too now that he was all grown up.

“There’s nothing wrong with camping Legend, don’t be a sour puss.” Sky said as he placed his hand on the younger hero’s shoulder.

“Forgive me for wanting a plush bed and some privacy every now and then.” Legend muttered as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Time listened to the banter coming from the other boys as he kept leading the way through the town. He led the group into North Clocktown and was thankful that even this area hadn’t changed. “This’ll be the perfect area to camp for the night. Shouldn’t even need anyone as a watchman since we’re still in town.”

The boys all scoped the area and started discarding their belongings where they decided to crash for the night. Wild started selecting items to make for a dinner, while a few of the others wanted to explore a little more before settling in. Time sat down against a tree and watched his charges disperse, no reason to object or to accompany. Why a portal spat them here, he didn’t know, but he’d be sure to take advantage of the little break they’d been given for now.

.

.

.

.

Long after dinner, Time had excused himself to wander with his thoughts. Now he laid atop the Clock Tower and stared up at the moon. It was high in the sky, it no longer glared in rage, and again he felt like everything from long ago was just a fantasy. He found his mind wandering back to that fateful night when he freed the Skull Kid from that terrible fate. The fact that Wild now possessed the cursed artifact made him want to find the Mask Salesman and rip it out of his grasp, evil sealed or not. It was evident that the mask still held power to this day, it just may not have been as fearsome as it was when he was a child. He was so naïve back then.

But what could you do when the weight of the world was placed on your shoulders before you ever learned how dangerous the world was? It’s not like he as given a manual, or a tour, or even a map. He knew some of the new heroes he met had been young when they started, but he couldn’t help but be infuriated at the Goddess for making him save the world not once, but twice, before he even hit puberty. At least when he was brought to Termina, he’d had a little bit of experience under his belt.

Termina really was the land of masks. How they were coveted and treasured, he never put it together until he was older, but it was just a metaphor for hiding. No one was true to themselves in Termina, maybe that’s why he fit right in so well. Even from an early age, he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate his successes; he was the Hero of Time doomed to be unknown by all he saved. The only people who what he’d done here were dead.

Time still had them; Mikau, Darmani, and the Butler’s son. He kept them safe so their souls would never be bothered again. Now, after so many years, that he had finally found his way back to Termina, he wanted to find the time to slip away and give them their long awaited and well-deserved rest. He reached into him bag and gingerly pulled out the wooden masks, he ran his fingers over the grain, and he knew what he needed to do.


	2. Does it make others happy, too?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time wanted to put the masks to rest but his fear was that someone, someday, would find them and use them. The gorons truly believed Darmani came back from the dead to save them from Goht and his curse. What would they think if he walked into the Village after years and years and tried to conquer them-- or kill them?
> 
> He couldn’t let that happen.

Time awoke at their camp in North Clocktown just before dawn. He stood and stretched before gathering his gear and armor in preparation for the task at hand. When he turned, he saw Twilight sitting up in his bedroll staring at him with a rather pointed look. He took the few strides over to his protégé and placed his hand on his shoulder and said quietly. “Keep an eye on everyone, I’ll be back in two days tops.” Twilight nods and watches Time slip out of the North entrance and off into the rising sun.

Time was glad they stayed in North Clocktown, he figured he’d get the hardest terrain over with first. As he traversed through the field and into the snow, he cut down chu’s and eeno’s with the ease he couldn’t do as a child. He smirked to himself at the thought of how much easier saving Termina would have been if he’d been older when he was here. Then again, he had that same thought whenever he reminisced every adventure he’d ever had.

As he trudged into the snow of Snowpeak, he was also glad he was better dressed than he was when he was a child as memories of numb limbs and frostbitten toes made him cringe. The tall peaks made large shadows that blocked the sun from reaching the permafrost on the trails. Without those rays, the snow could barely thaw, and the leftover snow crunched loudly. So loudly that he was shocked that he didn’t notice sooner that he had a shadow following him.

Time whirled around, his sword at the ready to take care of whatever was following him. It was a bright blue scarf against the stark white snow that stopped him.

Warriors froze with his arms out in front of him. “Woah, woah there Old Man! It’s just me!”

Time glared with his one good eye while he put away his overly large weapon. “Why are you following me?”

Warriors slapped his signature grin across his face as he walked up to the older hero. “Honestly, I was scared you were going the way of an old dog and was trying to find a place to wander off and die.”

“Go back to town, War.” Time said bluntly before turning on his heels and continued up the mountain.

“Oh no, no, no. You scared the crap out of the others and I came to make sure everything was okay.” Warriors stomped through the snow to keep up with Time. He purposely made each step as loud as he could to indicate he wouldn’t be shaken off that easy.

Time rolled his one good eye without letting the Captain see. “Why would I have scared anyone?”

“Well for one, we’re in an era that only you know of. Two, this isn’t even Hyrule anymore. Three, you slink off alone before anyone woke up. The kids all think you’re all trying to abandon us now that you're home.” He said rather nonchalantly with his arms up in a shrug.

Time stopped dead in his tracks and looked over to the younger hero. He puts his fingers to the bridge of his nose and weighed his words carefully. “This isn’t _home,_ you should all know that much.” He lets out a long sigh before resuming the trek through the melting snow “I’m not looking for a place to die, there’s just something I have to do and I haven’t been back here since I was a child.”

Warriors matches Time’s stride as carries on. “Well I figured this wasn’t home, but you can’t blame anyone for thinking somethings off. I know we all have our secrets, but you have more than any of us; You’ve got to let us in sometimes so we don’t worry…” He knew Time wouldn’t respond to that but just saying it out loud made him feel better, if not hypocritical at the same time. He was too busy thinking of his own secrets when the weight of Time’s comment truly hit him.

“Wait. You haven’t been here since you were a child? What were you doing, vacationing?” He asked incredulously.

Time sighed for what felt like the millionth time in his life as they reached the Mountain Village. The melting snow dripped off the trees like rainfall, the stream roared with new life from the winter runoff, and the chimney from the single building in the village spewed smoke from the freshly lit forge. The gilded sword he had forged there hung on his wall at the ranch still to this day, he kind of wished he would have brought it now even though he had already decided that it would go to his son, should he have one. He shook his head of weary memories and remembered the climb that needed to be done.

Time walked into the tunnel that lead up to the top of the cliff and wished he could just slap on the Goron mask to expedite the process instead of scaling up the steep slopes. Instead, he’d have to suffer through them since the Captain was in tow. He ignored Warriors words of protest and dismay the entire hour it took them to climb through the tunnel. Even when the Boe’s jumped all over them, he let Warriors figure out that they weren’t the friendly little fluffballs he thought they were. And he absolutely refused to answer Warriors inane questions.

When they reached the top of the cliff, Time stood at the entrance to the Goron Graveyard and motioned for Warriors to enter first. He stepped in behind the younger man and the warm air from the hot spring hit his face. He watched Warriors explore inside the small cavern and when he got to the large tombstone in the middle, he looked back at Time with a quizzical look on his face.

“It wasn’t a vacation.” Time finally answered the question after so long. He stepped into the cave while pulling a brown mask out of his bag and held it in front of him while he looked at the tombstone. “His name was Darmani and he was the hero of the gorons. He died when he tried to defeat the monster in the temple up the mountain and his guilt kept him lingering here in our realm…”

Warriors watched as Time knelt near the edge of the spring clutching the mask that resembled the face of a goron. “And you placated his spirit?”

Time nodded solemnly. “I healed him, and in return his spirit made this mask and it allowed me to get to the temple and save the mountain from a never-ending winter…” He loses himself in thought for a moment and was surprised Warriors let him relish in the silence this time.

“I’ve never told anyone about Termina, except Malon, and I’ve never been back since I saved this land… So, I still have all their masks…” 

“…You mean… There’s more souls in a mask than this one?”

“There’s two more… I want to put them to rest. I should have done it long ago, but I was just a dumb kid who didn’t think about life and death.” Time says regretfully, it’s not like he was wrong. He knew what death was, obviously, but he never thought of the eternal rest part of it until he was older. The guilt nagged at him for years even though he knew their souls weren’t tied to the masks themselves.

Time stood and walked over to the blue flame torches that decorated the tomb and stared into its depths, he could feel the cold heat coming from it. Now that he was here, he really didn’t know what to do. He wanted to put the masks to rest but his fear was that someone, someday, would find them and use them. What if someone found Darmani’s mask and caused harm to the gorons? The gorons truly believed Darmani came back from the dead to save them from Goht and his curse. What would they think if he walked into the Village after years and years and tried to conquer them-- or kill them?

He couldn’t let that happen.

As much as it would hurt or the guilt he would feel later, Time made up his mind. He took the mask in his hand and raised it to the flame. Within seconds, the blue flame engulfed he wood with its sprawling tendrils. He quickly took the burning mask and walked it back over to the edge of the water from the spring and unceremoniously dropped it the ground.

“What are you doing!?” Warriors screeched so suddenly his voice cracked like a 12-year-old boy. He ran over to the smoldering timber and was ready to stomp it out.

Time quickly jumped into action and pushed Warriors down into the water before he could light himself on fire. “Idiot, that’s blue fire! You’d burn down to your bones before we could get it out!” He glowered down to the sputtering, sopping wet fool.

Warrior gaped at Time before scrambling to his feet and flipped his wet scarf around him. “I’m the idiot?! You were the one who wanted to set his soul to rest and now you’re just burning it! How is **that** restful?!” He attempted to kick water at the mask that was rapidly turning to more ash than wood before Time decided he needed another soak in the pool.

“And just how would his soul be resting if someone used him again?!” Time roared at the Captain; his voice echoed off the walls of the cave with a certain deadly reverberation.

Time turned away from the younger boy and took looked out of the cave to the blue skies. His thoughts raced a mile a minute, the guilt and regret already kicking in. He should have taken the mask to the village, given it to his people, his family. Hylia, what if he had children? The gorons should have been able to remember him more than just by looking at a tombstone. And now he’s robbed them of that forever. What on earth made him think he was ever a hero when all he could do is destroy? 

He hadn’t thought this through at all. If he was just going to destroy the masks, why didn’t he do it at home long ago? Why did he need the symbolism of returning to obliterate them at their graves? Why did any of it matter at all?

No one remembered him here anyways.

Time’s stomach sank and the bile within churned, but he wouldn’t let himself vomit, not with the Captain here. Time could feel his friend’s baby blue eyes glued to his back, probably in disgust, but neither of them would speak. The only sound to be heard was the faint crackling of the torches and the sputtering of the wooden mask finally burning itself. It was gone; Darmani III, the hero of the gorons, was gone for good. Time closed his eye to prevent a tear from rolling its way down his face. His hands moved on their own to his bag they pulled out his treasured memento from Zelda.

Time turned to look at the tombstone once more before raising the instrument to his mouth. He sucked in a breath and began to play a song to soothe his own soul this time. The notes echoed off the stone walls with sadness that only he could understand, even though he didn’t.

Warriors had moved to the cave entrance and waited until Time was finished before he gently placed his hand on the older man’s shoulder. There were no words needed, he knew how much the Old Man needed to do…. Well… whatever he had to do to make whatever happened here right. If that meant he had to just help his shoulder the burden, he’d be happy to oblige.

He just wished Time would let him.


	3. The right thing, what is it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time still felt the gravity of that day deep within his bones. It’s the reoccurring nightmare he couldn’t shake after all these years. Mikau died because of a foolish child named Link who played with magic he didn’t understand.
> 
> That was something he had to live with for the rest of his life.

_Link rode Epona through Hyrule field alone after his tireless search through the forest, even another country. It had been three years since he ‘borrowed’ Epona from Lon Lon Ranch, he was sure that the red-haired girl, Malon—his friend, would be furious for absconding with her favorite horse for so long. The foal had doubled in size, that’s for sure, but then again so had he. Or at least that’s what it felt like. As they climbed the hill together, he realized all he wanted right now was for someone, anyone, to say they missed him. Sure, he could go to the forest and say hello to his Kokiri friends. But even he knew that he couldn’t stay there forever. He’d already grown much taller than all of them by now, it wouldn’t be too much longer before the woods would reject him and he’d turn into a stalfos._

_At the same time, though, he thought Malon would be more excited to see her horse than him._

_When the gates of the ranch came into view, Link felt his stomach twisting in anxiety. Even though Epona was just a horse, he couldn’t imagine his adventures without her. He didn’t even know if there’d be more adventures in his future if he was being honest, he was pretty over it by now. He just really wasn’t ready to be all alone but had no idea what he’d do next with his life. Maybe he’d go to the castle and join Zelda’s army and continue to protect Hyrule for her, this time not in as much obscurity._

_Link took a deep breath and led Epona through the gates to deliver her home._

_He just wished he knew when he could have a home too._

.

.

.

.

Warriors poked at their dinner on the fire from their spot on the beach while Time looked out to the ocean and watched the seagulls flutter. It was clear after they climbed down Snowhead that the Captain wouldn’t be leaving Time to do this alone, and only part of him was annoyed by that. They had arrived at the Great Bay just before sunset and Time didn’t have the energy to take care of the next mask just yet. Somehow Warriors sensed that and found a place away from the leevers that popped out of the sand to set up a little camp. He was no Wild when it came to cooking, but he was determined to give the cook a run for his rupees.

Maybe that would help ease the burden in Time’s heart.

They didn’t speak the whole way down the mountain, they just trudged on as snow turned into sand. Eenos turned to the ever annoying leevers, what they lacked in strength they more than made up for in numbers. Time could smell the ocean before he could see it, and he was relieved it didn’t smell sour like it did last time he was here. It seemed like everything he did before stuck this time around, the giants were protecting Termina, he didn’t have to this time.

When the two silent heroes cleared the canyon and the wonderous blue came into view Warriors gushed in amazement at the beauty of the sea. Time could instantly taste the brine in his mouth, it made his stomach turn. He felt that stabbing pang of regret deep within his heart and it made him weary. He shouldn’t have come here; he shouldn’t have let The Captain follow him. The ocean is where he failed and felt the repercussions of it for the first time, and Hylia did it hurt him still.

Time snapped out of his thoughts when Warriors waved a grilled fish in his face and smirked. “Are you trying to get a new job in the group?”

Warriors plopped down beside him with an undignified grunt and took a bite out of his own grilled meat. He gave his ally a sideways look and proceeded to speak around his mouthful of food. “Maybe I just wanted to show someone that we can all have multiple jobs. I mean, I don’t always have to be the pretty boy captain, I have other qualities.”

Time snorted as he chewed his meal, “Oh yeah, what would they be?”

“I…uh,” He paused in thought for a solid minute while avoiding Time’s amused gaze. “I’m dependable?”

Time pursed his lips and nodded to the man. “You are, but couldn’t you say the same thing about all of us?”

“Well yeah but I meant, like, I’m not going to leave you out here all alone.” The younger man reasoned with his voice, but his eyes bore into him with sympathy.

Time scoffed and tossed the bones of his meal into the flame. “I’d be fine, you kids all think I’m some pathetic old man--”

“No one thinks you’re pathetic, Time.” Warriors cut him off without caring, “I meant, I didn’t want you to _deal_ with this alone. You’ve never been forthcoming about your adventures, but I know what happened here.”

Time rolled his good eye and let the boy speak his mind while he began to undo the straps of his armor for the evening. “How could you possibly know anything about Termina? Did it magically make its way into the history books?”

“You told me.” Warriors voice was flat. No inflection, he was as serious as the grave. Time gave him a look that would frighten small children when caught in a lie, but the Captain didn’t blink.

“I didn’t tell you anything about Termina.” They kept their eyes locked, Time searching for anything in them that would make him back off.

“You really don’t remember?” Warriors face fell in the slightest in disappointment. He turned and started rummaging around in his belongings. Slowly he pulled out a child’s mask, a Keaton mask, and handed it to Time. “You gave this to me to remember you by.”

Time stared at the yellow fox mask and traced its details with his fingers. It had a handmade leather strap to hold it on his head, a chip in the right ear from when a stalchild got him with a rock, and most importantly, his name was carved in it. He carefully reached into his own bag and dug out his own Keaton mask and held the two together.

They were identical.

“How is this possible?” He said barely above a whisper.

“When Cia opened the Gate of Souls, my Hyrule became a mess of strung together timelines. I don’t know how many different eras there were, but we all fought together and closed the gates. That’s why me and Wind are so close, he knew me from then. You were young, maybe thirteen or so, we called you Mask and you were a little badass…” Warriors trailed off into thought, he sighed as he combed his hand through his hair. “I don’t know why you don’t remember…”

Time waved the two masks at Warriors. “It wasn’t me… We both can’t have the same mask.”

“It was you! You told me about Termina, you showed me your mask collection—plus all three of the ones that change you!” Warriors jumped to his feet and started pacing around their make do camp, exasperatedly explaining himself. “You told me about your best friend, Malon. I held you when you had a nightmare about the shadows under the well. You were like my little brother!”

Time looked to his feet and searched within to give Warriors a shred of recognition, but there was nothing. It honestly broke his heart to have to say it, “I’m sorry Warriors, that wasn’t me.”

“That’s bullshit Time!” Warriors bellowed so suddenly his voice cracked. “What is so wrong with you that you don’t want to let people into your life? I know you!”

“That wasn’t me,” Time repeated calmly as he looked up into Warriors eyes that were desperately searching his own. “I’m sorry, but it wasn’t. Plenty of fucked up shit happened in my life, but I think I’d remember being thrown into _a war_ across the timelines.”

The well composed Captain looked like he was about to cry. Time could tell that the kid had been waiting the whole time they traveled together for him to put the pieces together. Time couldn’t explain logically why he couldn’t have been the ‘Mask’ Warriors had known; he just knew he wasn’t that kid.

“Look, it’s not a surprise that my actions split the timeline into pieces, maybe Mask was just another fragment of my mistakes.” Time’s face falls into a frown as deep as the ocean. “You all call me the Hero of Time? It’s more like the destroyer of time… How many different versions of myself are out there? Did I make a copy of myself every time I played The Song of Time?”

“Look, I’m sorry, I should have brought this up another way. I just thought this would have been the right time.” He felt heartbroken, but he knew he’d be fine in the end. He pulled his scarf around his neck a little tighter as the ocean chill started to set in. He nodded his head towards the beach and sighed heavily, “I’m just gunna… Take a walk.”

Time nodded in return and watched the boy kick the sand as he walked away. Time had inadvertently ruined his whole life, here he was searching for a missing friend whom he had thought was right in front of him. It was the same as when he went looking for Navi and found Termina. He watched Warriors with remorse until he final sat down at the water’s edge and stared out to the sea.

Like the sea could wipe away all trace of memory.

He sighed and pulled out the zora mask he came here to destroy. Though he wasn’t at the grave, he figured now was a good a time as any. He unceremoniously tossed the magic item into the campfire and reasoned with himself that at least he was at the ocean. The wood crackled and splintered in the flames and he felt the weight leave his chest, he would sprinkle the ashes where the body rested in the morning.

As he watched the mask incinerate into nothing, Time remembered when he pulled Mikau out of the water. The zora sputtered and mumbled deliriously about his love, where he’d been, and what happened to his unhatched children. But when Link, when he was still Link, played the song of healing, the zora man didn’t heal; he just laid there and died. He didn’t know why the song didn’t work, it was supposed to heal all sorts of wounds, surely it should have made the zora well again. All he remembered was sobbing as he dug the grave on the beach with his shield and sword. He could barely see through the tears as he tied the musician’s guitar to the driftwood to make a grave marker. The boy slept next to the grave that night, alone on the beach, because he was convinced as soon as he shut his eyes that he’d wake up from that dream and everything would be fine.

But he awoke still clutching Mikau’s mask.

Time still felt the gravity of that day deep within his bones. It’s the reoccurring nightmare he couldn’t shake after all these years. He knew who the bad guys were, it didn’t matter to him if they died. Mikau wasn’t a bad guy; he was a friend, he was loved, he was going to be a father--and he died because of a foolish child named Link who played with magic he didn’t understand.

That was something he had to live with for the rest of his life.

.

.

.

.

_Malon heard the whiney of a horse behind her, which startled her out of her daydreams. There he was, just how she remembered him. That sullen look on his face, dressed in green of the forest, and eyes as blue as the ocean in her dreams._

**_Link._ **

_It had been many years since they’d met in the market, but she never once forgot his bravery. Who in their right mind would break into a castle to wake her idiot father? Even after that day, he kept popping into her life. They became close, her father let him work on the ranch, she taught him her mother’s song. But then he left feigning an important mission. And yet here he is, with her favorite horse no less._

_She cried for a week when he left._

_She couldn’t figure out why until about a year later when she found herself missing his laugh. They were children, but it didn’t matter, the boy already meant so much to her. A young girl of eleven couldn’t have possibly began to understand the complexities of love. And yet, her heart was almost bursting as he climbed from Epona and started walking towards her with a sheepish smile pulling at his lips. Maybe she learned a thing or two in the years he’s been gone._

_Maybe this time she could keep him._


End file.
